STEPHEN SONDHEIM COLLECTION
Into the Woods, Company, Sunday in the Park With George, Follies in Concert, Sweeney Todd and Sondheim: The Birthday
On April 14th the home video market will be treated to some of the most popular concerts and musicals that were only available on stage and in the legitimate theatre. Coming to DVD the collection will feature the following selections of one America’s foremost composers and lyricists.
THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT will feature musical stars Bernadette Peters, Carol Burnett, Neil Patrick Harris, David Hyde Pierce, Jon Cryer, Stephen Colbert, Patti LuPone, Adolph Green, Anika Noni Rose, Audra McDonald, Barbara Bryne, Barbara Cook, Charles Kimbrough, Chip Zien, Christina Hendricks, Craig Bierko, Dana Ivey and many more.
INTO THE WOODS A baker and his wife journey into the woods in search of a cow, a red cape, a pair of golden slippers and some magic beans to lift a curse that has kept them childless. The filming of the original play with feature Tony Award winners Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason and the rest of the original Broadway cast.
COMPANY The 1970 musical comedy is set firmly in, and often about, New York, follows five married, once married, or soon to be married couples and their mutual friend, Robert, a 35 year old bachelor who has been unable to connect in a long-term relationship. The original Broadway play received a record setting 14 nominations for a Tony Award and won 6.
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE The Pulitzer Prize winning musical drama centers on famous painter George Seurat and the people in his famous painting “Sunday in the Park”. While the painting depicts people gathered on an island in the Seine, the musical goes beyond simply describing their lives. It is an exploration of art, of love, of commitment.
FOLLIES IN CONCERT The incomparable Stephen Sondheim brought his sensational Follies to the stage in 1971 where it was hailed as “monumental theater” by The New York Times. Fourteen years later, the magic was recreated by an unparalleled gathering of stage and screen luminaries performing with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center for a wildly enthusiastic audience. This one-night-only performance became a legendary event in Broadway history!
SWEENEY TODD: THE DAEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET a musical thriller of revenge and romance set in Victorian England, features Broadway diva Patti LuPone as Mrs. Lovett and veteran stage actor George Hearn in the title role. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical on Broadway in 1979.
SONDHEIM: THE BIRTHDAY For the master composer and lyricist’s 80th birthday, many of musical theater’s brightest stars gathered to perform more than two dozen sensational numbers from Sondheim’s illustrious career. Many of these enduring songs are rarely heard and several are performed by the original Broadway cast members. David Hyde Pierce hosts this magical event with Stephen Sondheim’s longtime collaborator Paul Gemignani conducting the New York Philharmonic.
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
